AAI urged to allocate Rs 350 cr for Trichy airport’s runway extension work

TRICHY: Trichy MP Durai Vaiko has sought Airports Authority of India (AAI) to allocate Rs350 crore to extend the runway at the Trichy International Airport to handle widebody aircrafts for improving passenger and cargo handling capacity. The demand comes after the detailed project report (DPR) was submitted to the AAI.While the runway extension work to increase the runway from 2,423m to 3,810m was included in the AAI’s capital expenditure budget estimates for the financial year 2026-27, delay persists in fully utilizing the land acquired by the state govt for the extension which an enter upon permission was already provided to the AAI in April 2025.MP said that Rs220 crore was sought to extend the runway, and and additional Rs130 crore for allied infrastructure. “Airlines have expressed interest in operating widebody aircraft. With land acquisition completed last year, AAI should have sanctioned funds and commenced runway extension work. The runway augmentation work is essential to realize the new integrated passenger terminal’s full capacity in handling up to 4.4 million passengers per year,” Durai Vaiko, chairman of Trichy airport’s advisory committee, said.Maintenance, repair, and overhaul operators have also expressed interest in creating facilities at Trichy airport following the information on completion of land acquisition, a crucial development for the tier II city to add new international destinations and boost aviation related job opportunities.The airport here is also in a crucial phase as the exemption sought for strengthening the existing runway area from the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is lapsing by Dec 2027.The California Bearing Ratio (CBA) value, a measure of soil strength near the airport runway, is said to be below the standards prescribed for long-term aircraft operations. Replacement and stabilization of topsoil near the runway for a depth of one metre was proposed earlier. The airside work was supposed to be taken up simultaneously with the runway extension project.“Compound wall work on the acquired land is progressing. NOTAM (notice to air mission) can be issued to stop flight operations for about six hours per day and commence the runway strengthening work. Rs50 crore has been sanctioned for the major work,” S S Raju, Trichy airport director, said.